There’s something I’ve been noticing in high-performance leaders and sales professionals who are used to being “always on”.
They thrive on the chase. The target. The deal. The next challenge.
But what happens when they get the sale 0 or the market goes quiet?
For athletes, it can be the moment after the medal has been won.
Months, sometimes years, of preparation, focus and discipline suddenly come to an end. The competition is over. The structure changes. There is nothing immediate to chase.
And for some, that quieter space can feel surprisingly uncomfortable.
I hear this in my work with clients too:
“If I’m not achieving, who am I?” “What will people think?”
Or perhaps more subtly:
“If I slow down, will people think I’m lazy?”
I also know, for some, if they keep going, they won’t have to face that thing they are avoiding.
Yet the fallow periods can be some of the most valuable times and if we face into them, a space where we can learn a lot about ourselves.
When we stop filling every space with activity, we have an opportunity to notice what is underneath the ‘doing’. To reconnect with ourselves beyond performance. To ask what we actually need, want and value when there isn’t a goal in front of us.
Being able to sit comfortably in the quieter times is a skill – and a muscle we can develop.
So here are three things to try if this resonates for you…
1. Resist the urge to immediately fill the space.
Notice what comes up when there is nothing urgent to solve or achieve. Where do you feel the discomfort? What is the story that you tell yourself that needs a re-write?
2. Separate your identity from your output.
Ask yourself: Who am I when I’m not performing, producing or progressing?
3. Practise being deliberately unproductive.
Take a walk without a podcast. Sit with a coffee. Leave some white space in your diary. See what you notice.
The quiet isn’t necessarily a gap between achievements.
Sometimes, it’s where we learn the most about ourselves.
